Senior dog has severe diarrhea but is eating and drinking. What to do?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Tilly. The heat can affect her appetite, but should not result in daily diarrhea. As this has gone on for 2 weeks, she needs to be seen by her veterinarian. Fecal testing will likely be recommended and a medication prescribed to resolve her symptoms. She could have an intestinal infection, a bacterial overgrowth in her gut or be experiencing the side effects of stress or a diet change. If her heat cycle is starting that could affect her as well. In the meantime, continue to offer water so that she does not become dehydrated. Try your best to encourage her to eat as well. I hope this information helps!

Tilly needs to be seen by your vet. Staring into space can be a form of seizure activity. At her age many different things could be causing her symptoms. She needs an exam and likely some blood testing and/or x-rays. She cannot go on not eating. Please get her to a vet for an exam.

Poor Tilly! It sounds like she’s quite sick. There are many different things that can cause these symptoms, so it’s hard to say what might be wrong without being able to examine her and do some testing. Some possibilities would include a GI problem like pancreatitis or an intestinal blockage, a systemic illness like liver or kidney disease, or ingestion of something toxic. This sounds quite serious, so I would recommend taking Tilly to an emergency vet today for an exam. The doctor there can do blood work and x-rays if needed to help diagnose the problem and get her started on appropriate treatment right away.

If Tasha just started having diarrhea, I can give you a home remedy to try before having to take her into the vet. This diarrhea could be caused by GI illness, eating something rotten, a foreign body, or even something more serious like cancer in a senior dog. Withhold food for 12-24 hours, then feed a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken (no bones) and white rice in small amounts several times a day for a couple of days. Then slowly add back in her normal diet. If the diarrhea continues on the bland diet, she starts vomiting food, stops drinking water, starts vomiting water, or becomes very lethargic, she will need to see a vet right away.

Blood in the stool, even if it seems to "go away" and come back later, is never normal. The fact that it's accompanied by diarrhea suggests colitis, or inflammation of the colon, as opposed to some type of bleeding mass in the rectum or colon. Colitis can have a number of causes, including dietary indiscretion (eating something rotten or non-food), parasites, food allergies/food sensitivities, inflammatory bowel disease, or infection. Leah may improve with a diet change, perhaps a more digestible diet specifically for gastrointestinal problems. To assume it's a "tummy issue" could be to ignore causes that are treatable, and at this point she's not only having diarrhea but she also lost her appetite. It's been three days and she's not improving, so I recommend having her seen by her vet for labwork to include parasite testing, blood work, and urinalysis for starters. If all is normal consider a bland diet (as recommended above), and a probiotic supplement. Ultimately, she may need to ha

Dogs with bowel obstructions tend to not want to eat and usually are vomiting. They are also very painful - they will lye in one spot and look sad. Your description of her does not make me concerned of an obstruction. It's also good that you are not noticing the diarrhea as much. Diarrhea is often a temporary condition from an irritated bowel or infection. Keep an eye on her and bring her to the vet if any of the following happens: 1) There is blood in diarrhea 2) Very watery diarrhea 3) Dog starts acting very depressed 4) Dog stops eating or drinking for longer than 24 hours. 5) Diarrhea lasts longer than three days. I hope that helps and Marley is on the mend.

I am very sorry to hear that Sadie was given some milk by your 3 year old. I also have a 3 year old and a dog, it's a very interesting combination to be sure. The milk will most likely not cause anything more then some diarrhoea. Since you have only noticed a few episodes I would continue to monitor Sadie at home. Provide a bland diet of boiled boneless chicken breast and white rice and plenty of fresh water. Cooked skinless sweet potato can also be helpful for diarrhoea. If the episodes continue, if Sadie becomes depressed, passes large amounts of blood, vomits, or seems very uncomfortable take Sadie to see his vet. Because milk can have a high fat content, one potential complication of Sadie ingesting it, would be pancreatitis. If you notice the above signs it's possible Sadie has pancreatitis. I hope this answer was helpful and more importantly that Sadie feels better soon. Warmest regards to you both.

Hi, thanks for using Boop by Petco! Poor Tilly! Hormones can affect the body so is a possibility on why she has diarrhea though I would think that would have been occurring the entire heat cycle. The most common causes of diarrhea re: intestinal parasites, viral or bacterial infections, dietary indiscretion, pancreatitis, toxin ingestion, food allergy or intolerance or a reaction ti a new treat/food or human food. If the diarrhea is severe then I would fast her for 12-24 hours then re-start feeding with a bland diet of boiled chicken or hamburger with rice. Feed 1 cup per 20 lbs per day until 2 normal stools. You can also add a probiotic, I like Purina Fortiflora. If the diarrhea doesn't improve before the weekend I would have her seen. Good luck!

Either situation is possible. Diarrhea has multiple causes, so an exam and diagnostics are usually required to pinpoint the cause. If she is behaving normally otherwise, you can try withholding food for 24 hours. Allow small amounts of water or unflavored PediaLyte every hour during this fast. Resume feeding a bland diet in small, frequent amounts. Begin with one tablespoon of food every hour and gradually increase the amount. Feed bland until her stool is normal then transition slowly to the regular diet. Monitor for persistent diarrhea, vomiting, lethargy, loss of appetite or abdominal pain. These are symptoms that should be addressed by your veterinarian.

These signs could be compatible with a colitis, which is an inflammation of the last part of the colon, usually related to dietary indiscretion. As a first approach, I would suggest to start feeding with a bland diet based on boiled chicken and rice in small portion every 6 hours for the following 48hours. Then gradually reintroduce the normal diet over 5 days. I would definitively recommend a veterinary check up if the signs persist or you notice vomiting, lethargy or inappetence. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!